Our Mission and Approach

The Jewish Social Justice Roundtable is a network that strengthens and aligns the Jewish social justice field in order to make justice a core expression of Jewish life and help create an equitable world.

Our Vision

We envision a loving, caring, and equitable world in which power is shared and all are free from injustice. In this world, we live out our Jewish traditions of justice, embrace the beauty and multiplicity of Jewish identities, overcome past and present oppressions, and trust in ourselves, one another, and our partners to pursue justice together.

Our Definition of Social Justice

The Roundtable’s working definition of social justice is, “Building a better world by transforming systems and ideologies so that all people can thrive, be free, and live in dignity.”

Our Core Jewish Values

Tzedek (Justice): Social justice is building a better world by transforming systems & ideologies so that all people can thrive, be free & live in dignity.

B’tselem Elohim (In the Image of God). We see every single person as made in the image of God and a unique and equally valuable human, and work toward a better world for all people.

Chesed (Loving Kindness). We view love as an action, a necessary practice of building relationships and interdependence in order to bring about the world we want.

Tikvah (Hope). We bring hope and optimism to our work and build resilience to oppose oppressions, recognizing that both are necessary to bring about the world we want.

70 faces of Torah. As a network, we embrace one another’s individual strengths and identities and use those strengths to lift the whole in pursuit of our shared vision and mission.

Mussar. We work on ourselves in order to pursue external justice in the world.

Our Approach

Strategies to Achieve our Mission

Supporting the network to advance justice issues of our day and pursue long-term change, by helping our organizations respond to current events, amplifying voices and work across the field, and convening longer-term strategic conversations to advance collective justice work.

Building capacity for broader social change work, with a focus on helping Roundtable organizations and staff develop an anti-oppression lens and the ability to engage with complex issues directly related to advancing our work, including racism, anti-semitism and internalized trauma, and Israel/Palestine.

Making connections and strategic interventions across the field by hosting network gatherings, helping to increase funding, and identifying future interventions that will advance the whole.

Roundtable Norms

Roundtable affiliates agree that the following norms represent our good-hearted intentions, our best aspirations and will be applied when appropriate and relevant. We will strive to adhere to them in good faith. In the event of a perceived failure to follow them, we are committed to giving and receiving feedback and engaging in further conversation respectfully.

I will operate out of the belief that I accomplish my goals best when my Roundtable partners accomplish their goals.

I will be supportive of efforts to increase the total resources available for the Jewish social justice field.

I will be generous with sharing information, resources, and opportunities for collaboration with Roundtable members.

I will always be direct in seeking to resolve conflict and will encourage others to do the same.

I will make efforts to acknowledge and promote the work of other members of the Jewish Social Justice Roundtable.

I will commit time to being in relationship with others in the Jewish social justice community in order to lay the groundwork for collaboration.